This invention relates generally to apparatus and methods for data acquisition for performance testing, and more particularly to portable and configurable apparatus and methods for collecting and logging performance data.
Data is collected from turbine and power generation system installations to calculate commercial and technical parameters from such installations. Data is collected from a plurality of sources, including temporary instrumentation and control systems, to make these calculations. Engineers and technicians travel to site to set up the data acquisition and collect data on site. In at least one known method used to monitor installations, calculations are performed in batch mode, so it is possible that an invalid test will not be recognized until after completion of the test. Separate data logs are created for temporary instruments and readings from the control system, thereby making it difficult to analyze time-synchronized data, and requiring additional data processing steps to be performed after the test to analyze the results of the test. Moreover, in at least one known method, data from temporary data acquisition equipment is collected in the form of a spreadsheet, whereas control system data is simultaneously but separately logged. This separate logging required that data from multiple sources be collated and entered into a spreadsheet for subsequent analysis.